Amaranth
by CharlotteBlackwood
Summary: Percy and Amaranth had been passive rivals for years. But when they wake up one day and realize they were struggling for nothing, could working together lead to more? PW/OC, M


**A/N: All right, someone needed to write a Percy/OC. Apparently that someone has to be me. AND this story will be taking him absolutely seriously as a character. This story will start in the fourth book, so it should be fun following it out from there.**

** -C**

It wasn't that they were strangers. They'd known each other for years, in fact, and had been in the same year in Gryffindor. They'd been Prefects together, and even been Head Boy and Girl together, but they'd never really had a conversation.

That is, not until Barty Crouch asked them to work together with him on the project of bringing the Triwizard Tournament to Hogwarts.

Percy and Amaranth sat in a room and looked at each other, as though looking at each other for the first time.

"He's late," she said softly, gazing levelly at the familiar redhead. She thought they might have become closer if he hadn't spent so much time snogging Penelope Clearwater, who had dumped him fairly quickly on graduating. After all, Amaranth had been friendly with Bill Weasley when he'd been Head Boy, and Charlie when he'd been Quidditch Captain and Prefect. Why shouldn't she get on with the younger brother?

"Mr. Crouch is never late, Allen," Percy replied coldly.

She wanted to roll her eyes. The way he hero-worshiped their boss was almost enough to make her wonder whether chasing Penelope's skirt had all been a ruse to hide his true sexuality. But then, she'd seen him get hard-ons watching Penelope at Prefect meetings, so Amaranth figured it was just Percy's lust for power that was feeding the ridiculous obsession with Barty Crouch.

Amaranth had taken a slightly different approach to work. She'd treated everyone equally on day one, bosses and underlings alike, and acted as if she belonged wherever she was, and she'd been promoted within the first week to an actual spot in the department, rather than just as someone's underling, which was how she'd started out.

Groveling, in her experience, never got anyone anywhere good.

Before Amaranth could come up with a retort of suitable tone, the door opened and their boss walked in, face looking a bit more tired than when they'd seen him last.

"Good morning, sir!" Percy said eagerly, and Crouch blinked at him.

"Good day, Weatherby," he said measuredly. "Amaranth."

If she'd been a cruel person, she might have tossed Percy a triumphant smirk. After all, the person he would willingly lick the boots of couldn't even recall his surname (despite knowing his father), and yet he knew Amaranth on a first-name basis. But she just smiled at Crouch.

"Good morning," she said sweetly. "I trust you're well?"

"As well as ever, thank you," he replied, taking a seat at the head of the table between them. "Now, you know why you're here. Amaranth, I'm assigning Weatherby here to work directly under you and giving you a fair amount of autonomy on this. You will report to me, but as I've already outlined everything I need you to do, it's very straightforward and I expect precision and excellence from you. You've proven capable of that, I think."

"Thank you," she said softly. It really was a bit humbling to be handed such a large task, even with the restrictions she had. It was even more awkward to realize that she and Percy weren't going to be working together. He'd be working for her.

"This is, mind, until the Quidditch World Cup is over," he continued, "and I will be able to more aptly turn my attentions to the Tournament."

"Naturally," she said with a nod.

"Then here are the terms," he said, placing a large stack of parchment in front of her. "Come to me if you have questions. Don't bother with Ludo. He's hardly sure of anything we're doing, and that's if he's even bothered to read what I send him. I've got a meeting to get to, but I trust you can handle it from here."

With that, Percy and Amaranth were left alone again, looking at each other with wide, almost distrusting eyes, trying to decide how best to move forward from where they suddenly uneasily found themselves.

"Right," Amaranth said softly. "Well, I suppose we've got to get started on this, then."

"I don't understand," Percy said quietly.

She blinked at him.

"I'm sorry," she said kindly. "What part do you not understand?"

"I was always top of our year," he said softly, not unkindly, but perhaps a bit insensitively. "I was Head Boy. I beat you out in every class. My father works for the Ministry. I'm a pureblood…." He blushed a bit when he realized the implications of what he'd just said. "But still, you manage to somehow get ahead of me. What are you doing?"

Amaranth didn't want to think about the fact that he had all but delicately accused her of inappropriate conduct to get her position. It was a difficult thing to ignore, but she'd been ignoring Percy's insensitivity for years. Yes, he'd outscored her on all the theoretical tests, but she'd always outshined him practically. He'd gotten the top grades in the end, but she felt practical exams were really the more important part, anyway. Yes, he was Head Boy, but she'd been Head Girl, and it wasn't as though those positions were in any way unequal. No, her parents didn't work at the Ministry. Her mother was a Muggle shopkeeper and her father had died in the first war. If he hadn't sent his pregnant wife out of the country, the whole Allen clan would have been wiped out.

And no, she wasn't pureblooded. But really, who was anymore? Most of them were absolute slime, and pure blood hadn't gotten Arthur Weasley any nods for his department that he so stubbornly clung to out of passion, even forgoing raises that could have given his family a far more comfortable life.

Amaranth had never been a stranger to poverty, as a shopkeeper's daughter in a dodgy part of London. But she'd done well for herself, learned a thing or two about business from watching her mother, and she never had a doubt that she would succeed at whatever she did because she understood people.

"If you have a problem with my job title," she said a bit coldly, "take it up with Crouch. Until then, do your job and don't complain."

Percy then looked at her as if he'd never quite seen her properly before, and they began to work slowly but properly on their assignment, dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's.

Finally, talk turned to Quidditch, and they were chatting as they never had at school. Amaranth couldn't believe how easily it had come to them, and she wondered at how many years of friendship they might have missed, not forcing themselves to talk.

"We've actually got tickets," Percy admitted. "Ludo Bagman gave them to my father. Quite a lot of them, too. Top box."

"That rascal," Amaranth said, grinning. "He only gave me the one. I was going to bring a friend. It's top box as well, though."

She happened to know that it was also the seat beside Ludo's, as he was taking an opportunity to flirt with her once more, she was sure.

Amaranth had never figured out whether Ludo, old enough to be a very young father to her, actually meant anything by the flirtation or if he was simply trying to butter her up so she would do things for him, but she tolerated it with as much dignity as she could muster.

"You're going by yourself?" he said, shocked.

"Sure," she said, shrugging. "I've always done a lot of things by myself."

Perhaps that was a strange thought to someone with so many siblings, but as an only child, Amaranth had wandered the streets of London alone, and managed to take care of herself.

Percy looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "Who were you friends with in school?"

She blinked at him. Had he really been so oblivious to her that he didn't even know who her friends were?

"Atarah Horn and Melissa Saylor," she said slowly. "And you were with Penelope."

She felt a bit satisfied at the fact that his cheeks went a bit pink again. Not only had Penelope really been the only person Percy had spent time with, but she'd also dumped him.

And then it struck Amaranth so squarely in the gut what his problem was that she actually blinked at him with surprise to find that she saw him completely differently.

He was lonely, and he was alone. Even in a house full of people, he'd probably felt alone, and power and prestige seemed to be his idea of comfort to assuage the loneliness and the poverty that had followed him all his life. It was interesting to Amaranth that he would idolize Crouch, then, one of the loneliest men she'd ever met in her life.

But it wasn't too late for Percy Weasley, she decided in that moment.

"Are you busy tonight?" she asked. "Melissa and I are going to a pub, going to try to catch up. It's a bit difficult to spend time with people with this job, and she works such strange hours. It might be nice to add another familiar face to the mix."

Of course, it was good that Atty wasn't going, as she unapologetically hated Percy, by Melissa was a sweet, obliging sort of girl, who would neither ask questions nor take advantage of an opportunity to make Percy feel out of place.

He looked confused and surprised, but eventually he gave a slow nod and said, "Yes, I think that would be agreeable."

Oh, sweet Merlin, he was even pompous after accepting graciously extended invitations. What was she going to do with this boy?

They went back to their own office spaces and she noted that he sent off a quick owl. Likely, he was telling his mother that he wouldn't be back for dinner. She, similarly, sent a quick letter to Melissa, saying that a colleague would be joining them and to please be as nice as she could.

Not that she was particularly worried that Melissa would be cruel, but at least this way Melissa could prepare herself mentally, so there would be far less awkwardness.

Amaranth quickly forgot all about her discussion with Percy Weasley, giving herself over to her work, going through the pile of papers on her desk, writing the letters Crouch had all but ordered her to write to Dumbledore, Maxime, and Karkaroff. She also knew another reason why she had been elected to deal with this matter, and not someone else: Amaranth was near fluency in French and Russian, which wasn't Karkaroff's native language, but a far more familiar and comfortable language to him than English. Crouch was fully fluent, but she was the next best person in the office to handle these particular affairs in the most delicate way.

She slaved over her papers for hours and when she finally realized it was nearly time to leave, she began to stack unfinished work neatly and ordered on the appropriate corner of her desk and brushed her dark blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Amaranth!" said the happy, flirtatious voice of Ludo Bagman. "Can I impose myself for a moment?"

She sighed.

"Only a moment, Ludo, I'm afraid," she said. "I do have plans and I would hate to keep people waiting, you know."

"Of course," he said. "I was wondering whether we could have lunch tomorrow? Barty tells me he's put you temporarily in charge of the Tournament, and-"

"Perhaps, Ludo," she said firmly. "I'll send you a memo in the morning when I've had a moment to check my schedule, now I really must go."

He appeared hurt, but she knew he was merely trying to get her to stay longer, just as lunch was an excuse to flirt with her, not to work. She would come up with some lunch meeting and avoid the whole catastrophe.

Percy was waiting for her in the Atrium, bouncing slowly but eagerly up and down on the balls of his feet like a child about to go to a candy shop he was particularly fond of. She tried not to smile, proud of her plan and how happy it was making him.

"Ready?" she said. He nodded. She took his hand, ignoring his look of surprise, and she turned on the spot, taking them to an alley near the Muggle pub she and Melissa had agreed to meet in.

"You took long enough," said the voice of Melissa, amused. "Oh, hello, Percy. I haven't seen you since graduation. How do you like the Ministry?"

"Very much, thank you," Percy said stiffly, obviously taken aback by Melissa's genuinely friendly nature. "I don't recall what you do?"

Melissa smiled proudly. "I'm the commentator for the Montrose Magpies! And I do shifts in a wizarding pub up in Leeds. I think I'm going to look for a different side job, though. I broke up with my boyfriend, and he was the only thing still tying me to Leeds."

"Oh, that's a shame," Amaranth said honestly. "Martin was really good to you."

But Melissa just shrugged and said, "Know any Ministry departments looking for part-time workers?"

"With flexible hours?" Amaranth said thoughtfully, looking over at Percy. "Is your father's department hiring?"

"The hours aren't very flexible," Percy said a bit stiffly. "But no, he's not hiring anyway. They don't have enough resources."

"Fair," Amaranth muttered. "You know, Ludo might be talked to, interested in replacing Bertha at least until she pops up as he's convinced she'll do, that's if you don't care about constant flirtation." She led them into the pub and sat them down at a table in the back. "Oh, that reminds me, Percy, want to have a work lunch tomorrow? I need to dodge Ludo."

He raised his eyebrows, picked up the menu, and said, "Um, I guess so. Why are you avoiding Ludo Bagman?"

"Because," Amaranth said, taking notes on her order on a little Muggle notepad she kept in her purse so Melissa could order everything at once. "He says he wants a working lunch and then spends the whole time running his hands up my thighs. It's annoying."

Percy's eyes about popped out of his head and he finally managed to say, "If you've been harassed by a colleague, why haven't you reported him?"

Amaranth snorted.

"Percy, Ludo Bagman may not be the most revered department head in the Ministry, but he's a celebrity in the Quidditch world," she said.

He didn't seem to be getting it, though, so Melissa explained further, "If one of the guys I commentate on were to harass someone like that, especially our Seeker, and she worked for them, if she spoke up the Prophet and anyone else with their fingers on the story would spin her as someone being greedy for power and attention and he'd be some sort of tragic hero for spurning her avaricious advances."

Percy's jaw dropped and he said, "But that's terrible!"

"And that's life," Amaranth said with a shrug. "Be honest, didn't you at least for a moment this morning think that I'd gotten where I am because I've been sleeping with someone?" He blushed. "Yeah, I thought so. It's fine. I know you don't _actually_ think that's how I've gotten any of my successes in life. I work hard, but if you're attractive and don't try to look ugly everyone thinks you're trying to sleep your way up the ladder."

"So," Melissa said brightly. "What do you want, Percy? I'll take care of ordering and you can work out paying me back while I'm ordering. It's what we always do. More efficient."

"Oh," Percy said, surprised. "Sure. I guess I'll have the shepherd's pie. And water."

Amaranth scribbled it below her own order and handed the sheet to Melissa, who took note of their table number and went up to the bar to order. Then Amaranth turned to Percy, who looked a bit sheepish.

"Don't have Muggle money on you?" she asked with a grin. He shook his head. "How much was your order?"

They worked out the conversion to Wizarding money and Percy seemed a lot more relaxed, pulling out the coins to give Melissa discretely when she returned. Good old Melissa, didn't even seemed phased to be paid in Wizarding money when they were out at a Muggle place. Amaranth gave her a thankful smile and they chatted as she handed around the drinks, wiping the fingerprints off the glass of wine she'd gotten for herself.

"Oh, which is that?" Amaranth asked, gesturing to her friend's wine.

"Zinfandel," Melissa said. "Want a taste?"

Amaranth nodded, testing her friend's pink wine and letting Melissa taste her cider.

"Strongbow?" Melissa asked. Amaranth nodded. "Have you tried cider, Percy?"

He shook his head, looking at it skeptically.

"Is it like butterbeer?" he asked.

"Nothing like it," Amaranth admitted. "It's sort of fruity. Do you like apples?"

"I guess so."

"Here, have a taste."

Percy nervously tried the cider, his eyes growing wide as he obviously enjoyed it. Amaranth laughed.

"Tell you what, you have this one on me," she said, grinning. "I'll go get another."

"You don't have to-"

"I want to," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Consider it a present for a holiday of your choice."

As she stood in line waiting to order another cider, Amaranth smiled to herself. Percy had come out of his shell a bit, lived a little, and she had a way to get out of her impending 'working lunch' with Ludo Bagman the following day. This could be the beginning of a wonderful friendship and working relationship, she decided, ordering her cider, paying, and carrying it back to where Melissa and Percy were debating the efficiency of Falmouth's line-up.


End file.
